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Click for a Cooking Pit lesson |
It was usually a woman's job to prepare and cook the meals.
The most frequently used process involved pit-cooking (sq'elsém)
which uses an earth oven to cook roots, bulbs, plants and wild meat. The
Secwepemc people used this process for most of their cooking on a daily
basis.
Although there were many variations,
there was a basic process used. A deep hole or underground pit about 80
centimetres to one metre deep and 75 centimetres across was dug. The hole
was lined with large round lava rocks, similar to the ones used for the
sweatlodge. A fire would be started and wood added on to create much charcoal.
Cottonwood was preferred, because there was no pitch residue which would
create a bitter taste.
Cooking Roots:
The Secwepemc began gathering roots early each spring, before the plant
leaves were in bud. If the roots were not eaten raw, they were dried
on strings or mats and then cooked.
Roots
were prepared in many different ways. Some roots were roasted in hot
ashes. Others were steamed or boiled in baskets of water heated with
hot rocks. (For steaming, a framework of twigs held the roots above
the boiling water.)
Roots
were also baked or steamed in an earth oven. Foods inside the pit were
cooked with heat from above and heat from below.
To
steam the roots, the Secwepemc
stood a stick in the pit before adding the layers.
When the pit was filled, the stick was pulled out, leaving a hole. Water
poured into the hole made steam when it struck the hot stones below.
Certain
plant foods were steamed or baked together to improve their taste. Wild
onion was placed next to hummingbird plant. Balsam root was placed next
to penstemon.
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After the fire had burned down and the rocks were red hot, a
long pole would be placed in the hole to act as a place holder for a steam
vent. After the pole was inserted a thick layer of red willow sticks and rose
bush stems were arranged in a crosshatch manner, resembling a basket shape.
A matting was arranged over this pile of vegetation so that
dirt would not mix with the food being prepared and cooked. Then the food
was put in the pit. Usually meat was in one section, then potatoes, and then
some type of vegetable.
After the food was arranged a matting would be used again to
cover the food. The sticks and stems were again layered on top, similar to
the lid of a basket. On top of this was a thick layer of leaves so the food
being cooked would not dry out. A final layer of rocks was then placed over
the thick top layer of leaves and the pole was removed from the pit. Water
was carried in a basket and poured down the hole left by the pole. The water
would hit the hot rocks and create steam. A rock was placed over the opening
to trap the steam and cook the food.
The pit was left three to four hours, and everything would be
cooked. When it was ready, the top layer of small rocks and thick layered
vegetation was gently removed so the food would not get mixed with dirt. The
meal was then served to the family.
If you click on the picture you will learn
more about the process.
Roasting over an open fire - Sq'wlem:
Another method of food preparation involved roasting meat over
an open fire or Sq'wlem. This was considered a man's job. A fire using
cottonwood was built in a pit. This type of wood did not contain pitch and
created much charcoal or cinders. Wood was added on one side of the pit and
the cinders pushed to the other side of the pit. Stakes made from green pieces
of wood were implanted at an angle around the fire pit. Meat such as deer
ribs would be woven into the upper part of the stick. Wood was continually
added to the fire to keep the heat up. After a while the meat was turned so
all sides of the meat would get roasted. This method cooked meat in about
three hours. |